What happens next?

3/25/20

Dear STrEaM Families,

As we quarantine, "hunker down" and work from home, I have been reminded that the STrEaM community is amazing. Our teachers are meeting multiple times a day, collaborating, planning lessons, recording video, working in Google Classroom, attending professional learning and reaching out to students and parents. They are busier and working harder than ever!

I know many of you are wondering what happens next? Specifically, what happens next WEEK, when we move from "extended spring break" and supplemental activities to distance/online learning. STrEaM academy has an Academic Plan, which we will publish, laying out how we will provide education to our students.

Here is an overview:  On Tuesday, March 31st, distance learning officially begins!

Platform: We will continue to use Google Classroom as the primary way to deliver lessons, assignments and assessments. You will see news from ASD about new platforms, Canvas and APEX. While those may be good tools, our staff and students have always used Google Classroom for online learning, so this works best for us.
Teachers will also meet regularly with students using Zoom (zoom.us), a Video Conferencing software. This should be fairly easy to download on computers, tablets or smartphones, and is free. It also offers the option to call in with a phone for audio only.

Courses: We will continue providing core courses: Language Arts, Science, Social Studies and Math. These will be with the same teacher students had before the closure. These classes will be graded, following our grading policies, by submission of assignments on Google Classroom. We will also facilitate a Health/Wellness class where we used to have PE.
Ungraded, we will continue Advisory: teachers are meeting with advisory groups this week, and will continue weekly check-ins with them for support, communication, and community. We have to stay connected.

Communication and support: We are developing as part of our Academic Plan a school-wide schedule for "office hours" as well as times for individual and small group lessons and support, and weekly Advisory meetings. We are and plan to be available to parents and students, providing support and keeping our community together.

Grading:  Grades will still be in two categories, PA's (Practice Assessments) and MA's (Mastery Assessments). Mastery still equates to 80% of the grade. Grades will still be available in Q for you to view. However, we will "ease" into grading, giving a lot of grace and flexibility.

Technology: ASD had us conduct a survey on tech needs, but I do not want to wait any longer to begin providing Chromebooks to families without devices. Please let me know as soon as possible if you need a device, via phone or email.

We will have a "soft start" next week, with no graded assignments. Our priorities are connecting with students, learning to operate in an online learning environment, collaborating and building community. Notice, the focus of our online learning launch is NOT on content, assignments, or assessments. That will come, but let's build shared efficacy in this new way of learning first. This Friday night at 5 PM I will host an online, open parent meeting to go over this plan and answer your questions. Details forthcoming, but I hope to see you there.

We're in this together.
We're here for you.
We're worried too: this too shall pass.
We're learning all these new tools and ways along with you.
We're a learning community, we will figure this out and make this work.

That is our commitment to you. Please, commit to embracing the challenges before us and join us in this new educational journey.

Adam Mokelke, Principal
Cell (907) 360-1059
mokelke_adam@asdk12.org